Control of shape and size of poly (lactic acid) microspheres based on surfactant and polymer concentration

作者：Singh Barkha; Singh Pushpendra; Sutherland Andrew J; Pal Kaushik^*

来源：Materials Letters, 2017, 195: 48-51.

DOI：10.1016/j.matlet.2017.02.068

• Poly (lactic acid) (PLA)
• Microspheres
• Probe-based ultrasonication
• FESEM
• FT-IR spectroscopy

Biodegradable, poly (lactic acid) (PLA) microspheres have been synthesized via solvent evaporation method using ultrasonic homogenizer as emulsifier. The effect of added surfactant, PVA [poly (vinyl alcohol)], and PLA concentration on the shape and size of the resultant PLA microspheres has been studied. The prime objective of this work was to identify an optimal PVA/PLA concentration to prepare PLA microsphere with a size distribution of 1-2 micrometers as in many literature it has been reported as ideal range of size for non-endocytosis-mediated cellular drug delivery. In this pursuit it was found that an optimal concentration of 2.5% w/v of PVA into water and 2.5% w/v PLA into DCM [Dichloromethane] is suitable to create PLA microspheres with a size distribution of 1-2 micrometers. The PLA microspheres were characterized by FESEM to assess their shape and size. FT-IR analysis (Supplementary data) was used to assess the functional groups present in the PLA microspheres, whilst zeta-potential measurements (Supplementary data) provided insight into the likely dispersion properties of the microspheres in aqueous media.

• 出版日期2017-5-15